Card rack



E. S. OSTLER A ril 5, 1938.

CARD RACK Fild March 27, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 In veinor.

6 116142 OMM A fern er April 5, 1938. E, s TLER 2,112,925

CARD RACK I Filed March 27, 1936 3 Sheets- Sheet 2 In Van for v A z'iorney April 5, was. E -HER 2,112,925

. CARD RACK Filed March 27, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 j A? /3 I Ii 166.10 I I (7'7ZJ150JZ%F Affarney I Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARD RACK Application March 27, 1936, Serial No. 71,085

26 Claims.-

The present invention relates in general to relatively cheap to manufacture and yet is stiff and sturdy in construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a card rack which requires less wall space than the present known racks.

According to a particular feature of the invention, the rack is smaller and more compact than prior racks and yet has more space between pockets which permits easier insertion of the cards. The weight of the rack is also considerably less than other racks on the market resulting in a substantial saving in shipping costs.

Another feature relates to the open back construction of the rack which further reduces the weight, permits easier cleaning and allows ventilation which is especially desirable when the racks are fastened to damp walls.

According to a further feature of the invention, the two side members, also the top and bottom members, are interchangeable, thereby reducing the number of different parts which must be carried in stock for assembling racks.

According to another feature of the invention, the component parts may be easily and quickly assembled into a completed rack without the necessity of performing any riveting or welding operation.

Another feature of the invention relates to a specific improvement over the card rack disclosed in Patent No. 1,335,822, issued April 6, 1920, to Charles M. Crook. In the Crook card rack a centrally disposed rod at the back of the rack passes through holes in the bottoms of the pocket plates and the ends of the rod are fitted into holes in the end pieces of the rack. The alleged purpose of this rod is to retain the bottoms of the pocket plates at the back of the rack and to complete the card pocket so that the card cannot slip down between the plate and the back of the rack. The rod in the Crook rack must necessarily be flexible so that it may be sprung at its ends into the holes in the end pieces and therefore, there is the possibility that the rod will become bent, allowing the pocket plates to become loose and to rattle, or the rod may become disengaged from the holes in the end pieces and allow the card pockets to collapse.

In the card rack of the present invention, the rod or binder wire which retains the bottoms of the pocket plates at the back of the rack is provided with adjustable connecting means to the end cap members so that the wire may be tensioned to align the bottoms of the plates and. securely retain the plates in proper position with a minimum of rattle. This binder wire also serves as one of the binding means for holding the component parts of the rack together, and furthermore, it serves as the means for fastening the hanger members to the rack thereby eliminating the usual welding operation heretofore used for securing the hangers to metal racks. The binder Wire with its several functions is, therefore, a very important feature of the present invention.

It is the practice in some establishments to have the card racks pivotally mounted so that they can be turned face toward the wall and looked a predetermined time after the start of the working day so that any employee who comes in late must go to the foreman in charge in order to get his time card and register on the recorder. In such cases the open back construction which is one of the features of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is not particularly desirable since parts of the cards would be exposed when the racks were turned face to the wall. It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a metal card rack with an open back construction but which is arranged so that a full back plate or member can be easily and quickly attached thereto in case it is desired that the back of the rack be completely enclosed for special instances such as pointed out above.

The above objects and features of the invention together with others not particularly mentioned at this time, including numerous features of constructional details, will best be understood from a perusal of the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, comprising Figures 1 to 10, inclusive, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the completed card rack with some of the pocket plates broken away to show the construction at the back of the rack;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial cross sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing the manner in which the end cap members and the hanger members are secured to the side and back members;

Figure 4 is a partial cross sectional View along the line 44 of Figure 1 showing the side member in cross section and illustrating the manner in which the end cap member is secured to the side member at the front of the rack;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view along the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cross member which is mounted at the back of the rack to retain the back edges of the side members in proper spaced relationship;

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the relative positions of several parts at the lower end of the rack and illustrating the manner in which these parts are assembled;

Figure 8 illustrates the manner of assembling the various parts into a completed rack on a specially designed assembling fixture;

Figure 9 shows a back elevation of a modiflca:- tion of the card rack in which the back of the rack is enclosed by a back cover member; and

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view along: the line IU-II! of Figure 9*. i I

The cardrack frame comprises two formed metal: side members I, two end cap members 2 and a relatively narrow back cl ia nnel member I. The side members I are formed into the cross section best shown-in Figure 5 of the drawings and are provided with a series of spaced holes 6 in the rearwardly extending flanges f ormed from the front edges of the side members. The end cap members 2' are formed into a box like structure as most clearly shown in Figure 8 of the drawings and are provided with a slot 25 at the bend between the main bod oithe cap member and the laterally extending flange that which one leg of the hanger I5 extends when the: rack is assembled. The end cap member also has several inwardly extending. flangesformed. from the laterally extending, flanges or sides of the box like structure. A slot 24 is provided at. the bend" of the inwardly extended flange at the front of the.-

rack to provide a locating means for the lower end of the front panel 4 and the slots 31' provided at the bend of thetwo inwardly extended flanges along the rear edge of the end cap member to. provide a means for locating a back cover in case this is desired as shown in the modification of the card rack disclosed in Figures 9 and: 10 of the drawings. r

The back channel member I: isa relativelynarrow channel member co-extensivei with the side members I and is' provided-with several sets oi? holes arranged to be engaged by the ears I2 of the back cross member III, shown in perspective in Figure 6 of the drawings. cross member I0 is formed of a straight strip of metal into the shape shown in Figure 6 and has; two punched out ears I2 to engage the holes in the back channel member I and two laterally extending ears I I which hook over the forwardly extending flanges of the side members I- and prevent the side members from bowing outwardly clearly shown. in. Figure 5 of the drawings. The ends of the cross member In abut against the main body portions of the side members I and prevent these side members from bowing inwardly.

The partitions or pocket plates of the card racks consist of a plurality of rectangular plates 3' each of which has its top end hooked over or bent around a wire or cross rod 5 the. ends of which are located in the previously mentioned spaced holes 6 in the side members I The lower ends of the pocket plates 3 are provided with an angularly extending flange portion 2| which is notched out at 2222 to receive the legs of the U-shaped channel member I and are provided with a hole 23 located between these notches thru which is passed the binder and locating wire 8. The pocket plates are provided with a number of ears I3 for holding a small card bearing a number or other identifying mark which may be seen thru the opening I4 in the upper portion of the pocket plate. The lower card pocket is completed by the front panel 4 which is hooked over a cross rod 5 at its upper end in the same manner as the remainder of the pocket plates but has its lower end extending thru the slot 24 in the lower end cap member 2 to hold the lower end of the front panel at the front of the rack. The bottom or card stop for the lower card pocket comprises an angle member or bracket I8 which is mounted by means of screw I9 to the back channel member 'I. The forwardly extending leg of this bracket forms the card stop for the bottom card pocket. The above manner of mounting the partition or pocket plates results in a plurality of card pockets one above the other and extending downwardly and rearwardly at an angle in the manner well known in the art.

The manner in which the various parts of the racks are held together into a compact and rigid structure by means of a three point screw binding arrangement will now be: explained. The end cap members 2 are provided with two clearance holes at the two front corners thru which are passed the screws I6. These screws thread into block nuts I I having centrally depressed hub portions as clearly shown in FigureB of the drawings. The side members I have inwardly extending ears or lugs punched out of the main body of the side members and the rearwardly extending flanges, such ears or lugs engaging the hub of the block nut H and retaining the same in position in the side members I. The screws I6 thread into the block nuts and may be drawn tight to securely draw the front of the end cap members against the ends of the side members I.

The end cap members 2 are provided with a clearance hole centrally located at the rear of the rack. A. nipple 9 is passed thru the hole'in each. end member and is in threaded engagement with the ends of the binder wire 8' which lies within the legs of the back channel: member i and retains the bottoms of the pocket plates at the rear of the rack as previously pointed out. The two hanger members I5 have one leg lying between the end cap member 2 and the end of the channelmember I and the, other leg extending thruthe slot 25 provided in the end cap member- When the nipples 9 are turned the end capmembers are drawn tight and clamp the hanger members securely in position and at the same time the binder wire is drawn taut to properly locate the bottoms of all the pocket plates. From the foregoing it will be seen that the component parts of the metal card racks are securely bound into the compact unit without performing any riveting or welding operations, the three point binding arrangement resulting in a completed rack which is stiff and sturdy in construction and which permits very little twist. It will be seen that the two end cap members 2 are interchangethese members that a side member may be used either on the right or the left side of the rack. This greatly reduces the number of different parts which must be carried in stock and the resulting probability of an unbalanced stock.

Card racks must be designed for either a long or a short card, i. e., some concerns use a biweekly or semi-monthly pay period which requires a longer time card than is the case where a weekly pay period is used. The present rack has been designed so that it may be used for either long or short cards simply by assembling the rack with pocket plates of the proper length. The rack illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 inclusive of the drawings is arranged for the long card. In case a rack for the short card is desired the rack is assembled with shorter pocket plates 3 and the bottom card stop I8 is simply reversed, i. c. this bracket is mounted so that the laterally extending arm thereof is positioned above the mounting screw I9. When thus assembled the present rack provides a much greater clearance between pocket plates which permits easier insertion of the time cards. In other known racks provision is made on the pocket plates themselves to accommodate the shorter cards and the advantage of additional space between pocket plates for the insertion of cards is therefore not obtained. It will be noted that the back channel member 1 is provided with several sets of holes to accommodate the ears [2 of the cross members l0. Two of such cross members are ordinarily provided, properly spaced along the length of the rack to securely hold the side members I in proper spaced relationship. In case the shorter card pockets are used the members It are moved to the upper sets of holes, This is merely to locate these cross members ill in such a position that they cannot possibly interfere with the proper insertion of the card, i. e. these cross members are located directly underneath the laterally extending flanges on the bottom of the pocket plates so that the card cannot possibly come into engagement with the cross member and therefore prevent its insertion all the way to the bottom of the card pocket.

The card rack of the present invention adapts itself to a very easy and speedy assembling operation. For this purpose there is provided an assembling fixture 30 on which are mounted two parallel upright members 3| provided along their upper edges with a plurality of notches 32. Also mounted on the fixture 30 are two abutments 33 in line with the strips 3| to properly locate the lower ends of the side members I. In assembling a card rack the bottom card stop angle member I8 is first fastened on the channel member 1 by means of screw H9. The pocket plates 3 and the front panel 4 have been previously provided with the cross rods 5 and then enameled so that each plate and its cross rod form one integral structure. The number cards or identification tabs are put in proper position in the card pocket plates before the assembling operation is started. The 25 pocket plates and the front panel, properly stacked in succession with the pocket plate No. 1 on the bottom and the front panel on top, are then taken by the person assembling the rack and the plates are dropped one by one into the notches 32 with pocket plate No. l in the first notch at the left end of the strip 3| as viewed in Figure 8 of the drawings and the cross rod of the front panel 4 in the notches at the extreme right of strip 3!. The two side channel members ,1 with the block nuts I? in proper position are of the side members i.

then placed on the assembly fixture in the position shown in Figure 8 and are brought together against the strips 3! with the ends of the cross wires 5 of the pocket plates passing thru the proper holes 6 in the side members I.

The two hangers 15 are then located in the end cap members 2 with the hanger portion extending thru the slot 25 as shown in Figure 8 of the drawings. The stay or hinder wire 8 with the nipple 9 screwed on one end thereof is then passed thru the hole in the bottom end cap memher 2, the hole in the bracket l5 and thru the holes 23 in the pocket plates, and then thru the holes in the hanger member l5 and the end cap member 2 at the other end of the rack. The end cap members 2 are then properly positioned over the ends of the side members I and the back channel members 1 so that the binder wire 8 will extend thru both end cap members, and the nipple 5 at the upper end of the rack is then screwed into threaded engagement with the end of binder wire 8. When the lower end cap 2 is brought into position the bottom of the front panel 4 is placed in the slot 24. Next the two screws l5 at each end of the rack are passed thru the holes in the end cap members and screwed into the block nuts H.

The rack is now loosely held together by means of screws l5 and binder wire 8 and may be removed from the assembly fixture. The rack is then turned over and the two cross members Ill inserted in proper position with the ears 12 engaging the proper holes in the back channel member I. These cross members 15 are inserted before the nipples 9 are turned to draw the binder wire 8 tight so that the channel member I may be sprung SlJfi'lClBIltlY to allow these cross members if] to be placed in position. The screws Hi and the nipples 9 are now drawn up to securely bind the racks into a stiff and sturdy compact unit. It will be seen from Figure 7 that the bottom card stop angle blacket !8 lies between one leg of the U-shaped channel member 1 and binder wire 8 and is therefore firmly held in this position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the component parts of the improved rack, may be easily and quickly assembled into a completed unit without the necessity of performing any riveting or welding operations whatsoever. There is not. a rivet or a weld in the entire construction. The entire rack is held together by means of the four screws I6 and binder wire 8 with its associated nipples 9 and by drawing these screws and nipples snug the three point binding arrangement thus obtained firmly binds the parts together and results in a rigid and very sturdy construction.

The card rack shown in Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings is constructed and assembled in much the same way as the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8 inclusive of the drawings. In this modification, the two cross members H! are omitted and their function is performed by the back member 34. This back member is provided with two projections 38 at each end thereof which fit into the two slots 31 in the end cap members 2. The back plate is also provided with a flange along each edge thereof, portions of this flange being bent at right angles to form the ears 35 which hook over the forwardly extending flanges The entire plate 3% is formed into the cross section clearly shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. As seen from this figure the back plate securely retains the back edges of the side member I in proper spaced re' lationship since the forwardly extending flanges of these side members are held between the formed side portions of the back plate and the ears or projections 36'.

from the upper end of the rack. The upper end cap member 2 is then placed in position and the screws t6- and nipple 9 inserted.

From the foregoing it is seen that only a very slight change is necessary to convert the rack from an open back construction into one with a closed back so that it may be used in instances where it is desired that the racks shall be turned to the wall and locked at predetermined time after the start of the working day. This modification of the rack does not require any changes in any of the parts used in assembling the rack but merely means that the cross pieces ID are omitted. and are replaced by the back 34.

Altho a; preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes or modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the "invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. A card rack comprising two side members, a

plurality of partition members mounted in said side members one above the other, a back member, two endcaps, and a binder wire extending parallel to said back member and in close proximity thereto for holding the bottoms of said partition members at the back of the rack and for retaining: said end caps in position.

2. A metal card' rack comprising two side members and a back member, a plurality of pocket plates mounted one above the other between said side members, two end caps, and means for holding said rack together including a. wire passing thru the bottoms of said pocket plates and two nipples passing thru said end caps and in threaded engagement with the ends of said wire.

3. In a metal card rack, a frame construction comprising two side channels, a back channel, two end caps, and means for holding said channels and said end caps firmly together including a binder wire extending longitudinally of said "frame and two nipples extending thru said end caps into threaded engagement with the ends of said binder wire.

4. A metal card rack comprising two side channels, a back channel and two end caps, a plurality of plates mounted between said side channels to form pockets for cards, and means for holding saidchannels and said end caps together to form an elongated box like frame including a binder wire extending parallel to said back channel and having adjustable connecting means with said end caps, whereby said end caps may be drawn firmly against the ends of said channel.

5. A metal card rack comprising two side members, a back member and two end cap members, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends mounted one above the other inv said side members at the front of the rack, said plates having angularly disposed flanges at their lower ends, a binder wire adjacent said back member and extending parallel thereto through holes in said flanges and said end cap members, and means for tensioning said wire to align the bottoms of said pocket plates.

6. A metal cardrack comprising two side members, a back member and two end cap members, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends mounted. one above the other in said side members at the front. of the rack, said plates having angul'arly disposed flanges at their lower ends, a binder wire adjacent said back member and extending parallel thereto thru holes in said flanges and said; end cap members, and means for tensioning said wire to align the bottoms of said pocket" plates and todraw said end cap members against the ends of said side and back members.

7. In a metal card rack, a frame construction comprising two side channels, a back channel, two end caps, means for binding said channels and said end caps into a rigid frame including a binder wire extending longitudinally of said frame and two nipples passing thru said end caps into threaded engagement with the ends of said wire, and a hanger at each end of said'frame, each hanger having a portion extending thru a slot in the associated end cap and a laterally extending portion firmly clamped between such end cap and the adjacent end of said back channel.

8. A metal card rack comprising two side channels, a back channel and two end caps, a plurality of plates mounted between said side channels to form pockets for cards, a binder wire extending longitudinally of said rack, an angle hanger member having one leg extending thru a slot in the upper one of said end caps and the other leg lying between said end cap and the end of said back channel, and a nipple having its shank extending thru said end cap'into threaded engagement with the end of said binder wire.

9. In a metal card rack, two side members, a

relatively narrow back channel member, two end cap members, means for holding all of said members in spaced relation to form an open back elongated box like frame, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends supported between rearwardly extending flanges formed from the front'edges of said side members, and means for holding the bottoms of said plates at the back of said rack in close proximity to said back channel.

10-. An open back metal card rack frame comprising two side channel members and a relatively narrow back channel member, two end cap members, and means for holding said members to-. gether to form an elongated box like structure, said means comprising screw means for securing said end cap members to said side members at the front of said frame and a binder wire extending parallel to said back channel member and in close proximity thereto and having adjustable connections with said end cap members to draw' above the other, each of said plat-es havingan angula'rly disposed flange at its bottom end notched out for the legs of said channel, and a binder wire lying within said channel and passing thru holes provided in the flanges of said plates between the notches for holding the bottoms of said plates and for drawing said end cap members against the ends of said side members and said channel member to rigidly hold said frame together.

12. An open back metal card rack comprising two side channels having their front edges bent inwardly to form laterally extending flanges and rearwardly to form flanges parallel to the main body of said side channels, a relatively narrow back channel, two end caps, a plurality of pocket plates having laterallyextendingsupporting wires at their upper ends, said wires engaging spaced holes in the rearwardly extending flanges of said side. channels, a binder wire at the back of said rack extending thru holes in the bottoms of said plates and having adjustable connections with said end caps to firmly bind said channels and end caps together, and a cross member at the back of said rack for holding the back edges of said side channels in proper spaced relation.

13. A metal card rack comprising an elongated open front casing formed of two side members having inturned and rearwardly flanged front edge portions, the rearwardly extending flanges being provided with a plurality of equally spaced holes, a plurality of partition members provided at their upper ends with cross rods the ends of which engage the holes in said side members, a back channel member coextensive with said side members, two end cap members, and means for retaining the bottoms of said pocket plates in close proximity to said back channel member, said means also serving to hold said end cap members in position against the ends of said side members and said back channel member.

14. A metal card rack comprising two side members having inturned and rearwardly flanged front edge portions and inturned and forwardly flanged rear edge portions, a plurality of partition members mounted in the rearwardly extending flanges of the front edge portions of said side members, two end cap members, and a back plate member formed with channels along each edge thereof which engage the forwardly extending flanges of the back edge portions of the side members and having extensions at the ends thereof which engage slots in said end cap members.

15. A metal card rack comprising two side members having inturned and rearwardly flanged front edge portions, a plurality of partition members mounted in the rearwardly extending flanges of said side members, two end cap members, and a back plate member slidably mounted in said side members and having extensions which engage slots in said end cap members to retain said back plate in position.

16. A card rack comprising two side members having inturned and rearwardly flanged front edge portions, a plurality of partition members mounted in the rearwardly extending flanges of side members forming a plurality of relatively deep pockets one above the other, a back cover member slidably mounted in said side members at the back of the rack, and two detachable end members for said rack having slots adapted to be engaged by extensions at the. ends of said back cover member to retain said back cover member in position.

17. A metal card rack comprising two side members and a back channel member, a plurality of partition members mounted in said side members to form a plurality of relatively deep card pockets one above the other, two end cap members, and means for holding said side members,

said back channel and said end cap members in proper spaced relationship to form an elongated box like rack comprising screw means for securing said end cap members to the sidemembers at the front of the rack and a centrally disposed binder wire extending parallel to said back channel member and clamping said end cap members against the ends of said back channel member at the back of the rack.

18. A metal card rack comprising two side channel members, a back channel member and two end cap members, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends mounted oneabove the other in said side channel members, each of said plates having an angularly extending flange at its lower end to form a card stop, means for retaining the lower ends of said plates at the back of said rack, and an angle bracket mounted on said back channel and having a forwardly extending leg which forms the card stop for the bottom pocket, said angle bracket being reversible to provide for different length cards.

19. An open back metal card rack comprising two side channel members, a relatively narrow back channel member and two end cap members secured together to form an elongated box like frame, a plurality of cross rods extending between said side channel members at the front of said rack, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends hooked over said rods and their lower endsv retained at the back of said rack to form a plurality of angularly extending card pockets, and a cross member at the back of said rack for retaining the back edges of said side channel members in proper spaced relationship, said cross member having punched out ears which engage holes in said back channel member to retain said cross member in proper position.

20. A metal card rack having an elongated boxlike frame comprising two side channel members, aback channel member and two end cap members, a plurality of vertically spaced cross rods extending between said side channel members at the front of said frame, a plurality of pocket plates having their'upper ends hooked over said cross rods and their lower ends retained at the back of said frame thereby forming a plurality of card pockets, a vertical front panel having its upper end hooked over the bottom one of said cross rods, and a rearwardly extending flange formed from the front edge of said bottom end cap member, said flange. having a slot for locating the lower end of said panel.

21. A metal card rack comprising two side channel members and a back channel member, a plurality of pocket plates and a front panel mounted in vertical spaced relationship between said side members to form a plurality of card pockets, two end cap members for holding said side and back members in rigid spaced relationship, and a hanger member at each end of said rack extending through a slot in the associated end cap member.

22. A metal card rack comprising two side channel members and a back channel member, a plurality of pocket plates and a front panel plate mounted in vertically spaced relationship between said side channel members to form a plurality of card pockets, a hanger at each end of said rack, an end cap member at the top of said rack having a slot through which the top hanger extends, and an end cap member for the bottom of said rack having a corresponding slot for the bottom hanger and having a rearwardly extending flange formed from its front edge, said flange provided with a slot for locating the bottom end of said front panel plate.

23. An open back metal card rack comprising two side members, two end cap members, a relatively narrow back member, means for securing said members together to form an elongated skeleton box-like structure, and a plurality of partition plates mounted one above the other in said side members to form a plurality of relatively deep card pockets.

24. An open back metal card rack comprising two side members, a relatively narrow back member and two end cap members forming a skeleton frame, a plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends supported by said side members at the front of said frame in vertical spaced relationship, and a single means for retaining the bottoms of said plates at the back of said frame and for holding said end cap members in position.

25. An open back metal card rack comprising two side members, a relatively narrow back member and two end cap members forming a skeleton frame, a hanger member at each end of said -frame, a. plurality of pocket plates having their upper ends supported by said side members at the front of said frame in vertical spaced relationship, and a single means for retaining the bottoms of said plates in alignment at the back of said frame, for holding said end cap members in position, and for securing said hangers to said frame.

26. An all metal card rack comprising two side members, two end cap members, a relatively narrow back member, means for binding said mem bers together to form an openfront, skeleton back, elongated box-like casing,,and a plurality of pocket plates mounted in vertical spaced relationship between said side members to form a plurality of relatively deep card pockets.

ERNEST S. OS'I'LER. 

